The multiplicity of voices in the de la Torre brother’s work begins with their Mexican background, a combination of the Native Mexican, Spanish and Aztec ancestry, resulting in a rich Mestizo hybrid. Born in Guadalahara, Mexico, they draw upon their time spent growing up in Southern California after immigrating as adolescents. This diverse upbringing allows them to draw from multiple sources of inspiration as Mexican, American, and true border artists, living and working near San Diego, CA and Baja California, Mexico.

The works featured in the current exhibition include new hand-blown glass works from their recent artist residency at the Museum of Glass, Tacoma, WA. Recognizable imagery with technically masterful glass elements, depicting various Mayan, Aztec and religious iconography is juxtaposed with historic icons embossed with scores of trinkets and objects scoured from dollar stores around the world.

As presented in their lenticular works, they are self-described as having developed a unique visual vocabulary called “post identity” with imagery portrayed as a complex fusion of manipulated images in a lenticular photographic process. The lenticular platform enables them to push to the limits the Baroque visual appeal of their work in which the sacred and profane collide with the aesthetics of both esoteric and pop cultures. Within this motley brew their background embodies the fusion of indigenous and cultural heritages from Eastern and Western civilizations that make up our current global society.

Einar de la Torre states:
“It always surprises us when somebody dies in the US, there are no reminders of death—even the cemeteries look like golf courses and parks. Nowhere else do you see a culture so obsessed with youth. We like to say that America is a young country; America is not so young anymore. Nowadays, it is acting more like a perpetually juvenile middle-ager—immature adults are never a pretty sight, the best example of this is in our current election.

“The fabled Fountain of Youth reflects our national disdain for aging. It is more than a little ironic that Ponce de Leon’s fountain should be situated in Florida, a state that has more than its share of retirees. We believe it is high time we started listening to the wisdom of elders, and started acting our age. Our recent lenticular body of work reflects this, and the parallel topic ‘Sloth’ that was the theme from our most recent museum exhibit in Aarhus, Denmark (designated cultural capital for the European Union February 2017).”

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Einar and Jamex de la Torre were born in Guadalajara, Mexico in 1960 and 1963, respectively. Einar and Jamex both studied at California State University at Long Beach and taught at the prestigious Pilchuck Glass School in Stanwood, Washington. The Brothers’ works are in numerous public and private collections and have been exhibited around the world at venues including The Museum of Glass: International Center for Contemporary Art in Tacoma, WA, California State University In Fullerton, Los Angeles, the Carnegie Art Museum in Oxnard, CA, the Los Angeles Museum of Art, The Museum of Contemporary Art in San Diego, The Chrysler Museum of Art, The Tuscon Museum of Art, Glazenhuis – Glass Museum, Lommel, Belgium, The National Glass Centre in Sunderland, United Kingdom and most recently at the Glass Museum in Ebeltoft, Denmark. This is the de la Torre Brothers’ fifth solo show at the gallery.